Ashland's wild deer numbers on the rise

The City of Ashland used volunteers to count deer back in October. What were the results of that survey, and has the city done anything with the information? There are still hordes of deer using my garden as a buffet, despite my using every legal deer deterrent ever invented.

Comment

MailTribune.com

Writer

Posted May. 17, 2013 at 2:00 AM

Posted May. 17, 2013 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

The City of Ashland used volunteers to count deer back in October. What were the results of that survey, and has the city done anything with the information? There are still hordes of deer using my garden as a buffet, despite my using every legal deer deterrent ever invented.

— Dondi V., Ashland

In what can only be described as tragic news for Ashland backyard gardens, the deer spotters who fanned across Ashland in October saw a bump in the swarm's numbers over the previous year.

The 65 volunteers covered 56 sections of Ashland and counted 192 deer, according to a story in the Ashland Daily Tidings.

This was up from 187 deer seen during a similar exercise in 2011.

According to the City of Ashland's website, the deer population is a growing problem for the city. The concern is that deer have been known to act aggressively toward people and their pets. Deer also have caused car crashes in town, the website said.

The counts have prompted the city to call for a ban on deer feeding. The wildlife feeding ban also covers wild turkeys, raccoons, bears, cougars, coyotes and wolves.

The city suggests protecting your garden by fences, using deer-resistant plants and nontoxic repellent sprays.

We assume you've tried most if not all of these remedies, Dondi. Let's just hope someday the deer will just decide to return to their natural habitat in the wild and leave the city to the bipeds.

Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to youasked@mailtribune.com. We're sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them.